Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Joseph Roberts <josephroberts3 AT gmail.com>]

To help understand the Hebrew of the verse I looked through the Targumim
like Onkelos which may support the idea of reliance on trade.

and thou shalt call his name Yishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy
prayer. And he will be untameable by man, and he will be needy to every one,
and also all men will be needy to him-Targum Onkelos

The Greek translations of Aquila the LXX Symmachus and Origen translate the
word Pereh as Kexwrismenos which means separate or desolate and agroikos
which I would translate as rural. I am curious as I did notice the word for
fruitful and a variant of the word Pereh which is spelt as Pey Resh Aleph
(PaR'a) are identitcal according to my Gesenius lexicon, however I am far
from being an expert.

Therefore, I put foward for review of a dynamic translation that is heavily
reliant upon the Greek and Targum of Onkelos for the nuances that this verse
may carry in this rather neutral verse for the sake of trying to understand
the Hebrew.

He (Ishmael) shall be a rural and fruitful man, and his hand shall be
reliant upon trade and all shall be reliant upon trade with him.

I realize this is highly dynamic and highly interpretive but is this a
possible understanding?

-Joseph Roberts